944 Turbo hunt

[ccampbell84]

Hi guys,

I'm on the market for a nice 944 Turbo, max budget around £4.5K. I've noticed some fantastic examples for sale on here which I really like, but they're just out of reach financially.

I've came across this one on PH which looks really nice: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/911019.htm

I notice in the advert he alludes to previous PCUK ownership. Anyone familiar with this car and what do we think of it?

Cheers
Chris

 

[appletonn]

Well, not wanting to be a doom merchant but you will struggle to find a genuinely nice one for £4500 - it might look nice cosmetically but every chance it will need another £2k spending on it on mechanical/electrical/trim bits and bobs to make it truly 'nice'.

Sorry, but ask me how I know - mine was judged a 'good' car by Hartech (944 experts amongst other things) but it has still needed plenty spending to get it right and it cost a fair bit more than your £4500 limit.

There are 'cheap' cars out there, but usually for good reason, whether rust issues, poor maintenance or ropey interiors. You might strike lucky, but Porsche parts are not cheap and you will never ever be able to buy a 'cheap' turbo and then 'do it up' on the cheap!

Good luck in your search!

 

[John Sims]

What Nick said x2 []

From the pictures the car you linked to looks quite nice - though you can't really tell from pictures.

Certainly someone has had a play at some time as the painted rocker cover isn't as it was when it left the factory and I would have expected the door cars and seat fabric to match - but on a car of that age; so what?

Budget for £1.5-2K over the purchase price of the car, what ever you get, to sort inevitable "things".

 

[ccampbell84]

Hmm...I've been deliberating over a 951 or an E36 M3. Maybe the beemer would be the better buy given my budget.

 

[RC18B 911 turbo]

Both the M3 and the 944 turbo will need money spending on them and in my experiance working at a BMW dealer it is the M3 that can be more problematic and servicable parts are much more expensive. They are both very good cars and really the choice is down to you and what you really want either way you'll have a lot of enjoyment from them.

 

[Diver944]

ORIGINAL: glyn howell

I have never read some much doom and gloom on this site when it comes to someone buying a 944

Paul, John and myself field quite a few telephone calls from unfortunate people who have been sold a pup and very quickly are faced with a bill for a few thousand or scrapping the car. It might appear that we are being negative but in all honesty we are just trying to point out the pitfalls specific to these cars. Apologies if it does seem we are always running them down

A good honest 944 is a fantastic purchase [8D] and if it's maintained properly with a reasonable and regular injection of cash will go on indefinately for many years and look like it's only a few years old (instead of 20) []

There are some genuine bargains out there from owners who don't really realise they have a good car and underprice it, but generally speaking the cars at the cheaper end of the spectrum are potential moneypits for the next buyer.

 

[John Sims]

All cars need servicing. Some times an oil change is sufficient. Periodically cam belts need changing - this costs more. On the twin cam engines the linking chain can stretch, the cam sprockets wear (requiring new cams), the follower and tensioner aren't necessarily replaced. After 100,000 miles, on all 944's, the water pump is on borrowed time as can be the Turbo at 150K. Clutches and brake discs wear out - they all cost money.

Cars are seldom sold after a big service bill; they are more often outed with an impending big service. People don't spend £1,500 on servicing a car to sell it for £5,500 when they could ditch it for £4,500 prior to the service. Like it or not, this is what happens on most second hand cars not just 944's

944's are superb cars and, as Paul says, will go on for a good time with very little spent on them. Periodically you do have to dig deeper into your pocket though. When buying a second hand car you have to be aware that you may have to dig deep sooner than you would hope.

Buy any 20 year old performance car and you have to expect its first service could be a shocker. We are just alerting people to the fact. Buy a car and give yourself £2K head room and you won't be upset.

 

[pauly]

ORIGINAL: ccampbell84

Hi guys,

I'm on the market for a nice 944 Turbo, max budget around £4.5K. I've noticed some fantastic examples for sale on here which I really like, but they're just out of reach financially.

I've came across this one on PH which looks really nice: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/911019.htm

I notice in the advert he alludes to previous PCUK ownership. Anyone familiar with this car and what do we think of it?

Cheers
Chris

This looks like a car that was for sale for quite a while in Devon last year, it was about £4k in the end I think, the paint was tired so the buyer had it machine polished to what you see now, in the present financial climate it's £500 -£1000 over priced.

 

[DavidL]

Paul,
I think you are right, I remember seeing this for sale last year. It was one of those cars that on paper looked good yet took ages to sell.
Again on paper it seems a well looked after machine and I would have thought 4-4.5 was quite reasonable - assume it stacks up on viewing.
Wonder why its come up again so soon. Could just be a sign of the times sadly.

 

[u63af]

I would agree in the current climate that it is over priced for a 220 bhp model. I bought a 1990 115k mile 250bhp one for £5k. It had just had a service and had had the belts done 3k ago. It has had no problems at all apart from brake flex hoses costing me about £60 from promax. the main problem with these cars is that you get the tuning bug. I just spent a lot of money buying a tuning parts and I can easily see myself getting carried away.

I do most of the work on the car by myself so it keeps the cost down. At the end of the day, any performance car will cost money to run.

M3's are good cars but a lot have been molested.

All cars have been hammered in the current economic climate and as a buyer, you should take advantage of it.

 

[wibble]

Hi

Just to add what's already been said on here, is that if you are still genuinely interested in this car, go and take a look and drive it. My experience was that however good a car looked on paper, it did not necessarily reflect its condition and driveability in reality. This will give you a benchmark as what to expect in others you view. It's also worth comparing a turbo with a S2.

In my opinion, there is only one M3 and that's the E30 []

Good luck.

 

[pauly]

If I was only going to have one car I would have an M3 rather than a 944T, the rear seats in the 944 are comical, and the M3 pulls better from low revs, but they are a bit ordinary and it seemed to me to get any real sensation of speed you have to rev them quit hard.

 

[Big Dave]

ORIGINAL: glyn howell

I have never read some much doom and gloom on this site when it comes to someone buying a 944
yes i agree that most cars that are in anybodies price bracket will have some issues but I have owned 911,924,944, (current car 944 cab) and yes i have had to spend money but the truth is if you follow some basic rules of buying any car you can enjoy the Porsche experience at any entry level of money from £600.00 upwards. just drive the car enjoy it will it lasts and if it doesnt need fixing leave it. all classic cars need repairs and Porsches are no exception. Live the dream []

The replies that have been given are just being truthfull.
These cars are now OLD,,, and as a result can + do cost £££££ [even if used parts are fitted],,to get to a GOOD standard.
We all have different standards.. What might be GOOD to one person might well be POOR to another... Most of the replies on here are by folk who considder a GOOD one to be a GOOD one...And are also speaking from experience..[Lots of it]..
Either read + inwardly digest the info OR buyer beware....[][]

 

[Frenchy]

Good ones are available for that money but are like hens teeth, a work colleague sold a lovely 220 example for 4.5k with a massive Porsche service history money was not a question he just had it done, the bodywork was immaculate with NO rot, the car was covered with a clear 3M stone chip protection kit which cost £300 it genuinely wanted nothing at all spent on it i tried to talk him into keeping it but storage space was an issue he bought a 996 convertible.
It really was leagues ahead condition wise than later cars i have seen he had owned it for 15 years.
It went to someone in Manchester and came up for sale again recently, my advice is to look at plenty of examples .
E36 M3's can also cost a fortune should they need attention, a good Turbo is a far better car, i have owned both so do have the right to comment, truth is the M3 never really ticked the boxes for me.

 

[Black_JPN]

Below is a brief description of my car that I have been thinking of selling due to impending redundancy (quote taken from another thread - when Ben was looking). The two most recent bills from GT One total £1250 (Aug'2008 and Oct'2008, service and other bits), £400 before that from Northway (Dec'07) and £2,172 before that a Jon Mitchell (Jul'07 - 48k big service - all belts, fluids, top end etc). I've spent hundreds since owning the car (Nov'07) on miscellaneous parts to fix all the usual 944 niggles (had an S2 for 4 years before). Judging by the car you're looking at I reckon my car could be within your budget for a quick sale. I'd be sad to see it go but relieved to hand it over to an enthusiast. PM me if interested for more info and photos etc. It has 12 months tax and is MOT'd until Oct'09.

Thanks

ORIGINAL: Black_JPN

Ben, my '89 model (registered '88) metallic satin black 250 turbo is sat in the garage not being used much at the moment. Sadly my company is in administration and as a result redundancy could be looming soon. If it happens I think the 944 may have to go. Not something I'm delighted about but life goes on.

She's pretty much standard apart from a boost enhancer.
Had a 993 dump valve, cat2 toad immobiliser, cam belt, balance belt, alternator belt, ps belt, cam and balance belt tensioners, water pump, thermostat, front engine oil seals plus other bit by Jon Mitchell in July '07 before I bought her. Since then she's been serviced twice, 4 wheel geometry, boost enhancer, various other minor cosmetic jobs, gearbox linkage, engine mount, ball joint, full fluids change, new mats, sunroof cogs/clutch adjustment, - the usual niggly things put right, new bonnet/boot release struts etc, new battery,new windscreen, aftermarket steering wheel (original supplied), seats treated to liquid leather - look great no scuffs (SPORT seats), remote central locking. Buckets of receipts.

Currently on conti sports (which I hate) but have lots of tread. Original 16" CS wheels - refurbed to ok standard in the past. Lot's and lot's of old bills with details of clutch replacement etc. New Blaupunkt stereo with bluetooth (inc wired mic in the A'pillar - hardly noticeable) and USB port (in glovebox) fitted for your USB stick. New dash fitted (old one had cracked) - no phone holes in the new dash. Completely black interior with black leather sports seats + 10 speaker pack. Clear side repeaters, clear front indicators etc.

106k miles (has had a speedo change in the past - documented in service book, real mileage is a few k more). I'm tracking MPG and can get 33 or 18 depending on how it's driven.

Downsides - lacquer peel on front bumper/badge panel, one front foglight lens cracked, caliper plate lift evident but all disks/pads currently ok - not screeching, boot carpet marked due to battery spill while in transit (was taking the old one to the tip - bloody thing), slight drop on drivers door but have re-aligned hinges so hardly noticeable, minor burn mark on rear passenger seat (have got leather kit to repair), air con doesn't work!

I guess at present - I'm open to sensible offers. Oh and sills look ok, have checked behind trim and things look ok - believe the car has been garaged the majority of it's life.

 

[ccampbell84]

Black JPN, lovely car.

Email sent.

And thanks for the advice all. A 944T ticks all the boxes for me but it's hard to ignore the allure of a race-bred straight six!

 

[pauly]

ORIGINAL: Frenchy

E36 M3's can also cost a fortune should they need attention, a good Turbo is a far better car, i have owned both so do have the right to comment, truth is the M3 never really ticked the boxes for me.

I think the turbo handles and stops better than an M3 and is much easier to get more power from, but a good 3.0 M3 is fairly robust and other than the adjusting the valve clearances they shouldn't be too expensive to run. Finding a good 3.0 is another matter.